Why the Caged Bird Sings
by zuozhe
Summary: Tigress gets captured, and becomes a slave. What will become of her now? Will she submit completely to her masters will, or will she keep fighting even against impossible odds. WARNING: CONTAINS LEMONS don't like, don't read, but if you do read, REVIEW!
1. Slavery

It was a simple mission, sneak onto the ship, take out the crew, find the captain, find out what he was transporting, ensure the ship could not set sail, and report back to Master Shifu for further instruction. So, Tigress made her way through the small village filled with pirates looking for something to loot, she got onto the boat without being detected, and that's when it started to go wrong. There was no crew, not a single soul on the deck, she figured they were all in the village still, but she was wrong. She went below deck to find what was being transported. She was expecting to find weapons of some kind, but that wasn't what she found. It was very dark, but her keen feline eyes could see clearly, and what she saw disturbed her. She saw about a dozen very frightened young women of various species. They were chained to the walls by their arms, legs, and necks. The chains were short, they could move about a foot from the wall they were attached to. Their fur and clothing was dirty, their eyes bloodshot, and they looked like they weren't given much to eat or drink. There was one empty set of chains at the very back of the ship. It seemed as though they were looking for one more to take. Tigress stood, looking over the girls, with her jaw hanging open. The oldest of the girls looked like they were about her age, and the youngest seemed to be about fifteen.

"Master Tigress," A voice came from behind her, "so glad you could make it."

She spun about with a snarl. Behind her stood another tiger, male, much larger than her, which wasn't that surprising since south china tigers were one of the smaller subspecies. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm the captain of this ship."

She didn't waste anymore words, after hearing that, and seeing those young girls chained up, she gave in to her rage. She lunged at him, but he grabbed her by the wrists and slammed her down onto the steps. She struggled to get her arms free, but he was significantly stronger than her.

"Such, tenacity, I'll enjoy beating it out of you."

She managed to get her feet under him and kick him off. She growled and took her signature stance.

"You should sell for a good price, but I might just have to keep you for myself."

He was provoking her, and it worked. She charged at him. He dodged her kick and knocked her other leg out from under her. She landed on her hands and sprung back. When she landed though, he pounced on her. He had pulled a damp rag from a pocket in his shirt. When he landed on her and knocked her to the ground he held the rag over her muzzle. It had a strange odor, and she tried to force him off of her, but again he was much stronger, and the drug was quickly draining her strength. She became drowsy, and hard as she tried to fight she eventually passed out.

When she awoke she was chained to the wall with all the other women, in the one spot that had been empty. She tried desperately to break the chains, but it was of no use. She tried to stand, but the chain on her neck was low to the ground, so she could not. She sat back down and tried to asses the situation. When she stopped to think, she realized that the ship was moving. Panic started to set in again,and again she struggled against her chains. The door that led to the upper deck opened and she saw the captain come down the steps. "Good, you're awake. I thought I heard you trying to get those chains loose." He approached her.

She growled.

He chuckled, "Now that you're awake we can set some ground rules." He knelt down, "First off you belong to me now, and it stays that way until I decide to sell you. You're a slave now, you follow your owners wishes, without question, you have no freedom, you have no rights. Your name is no longer Master Tigress, your new name, is Jinu."

"What!" She shouted, "I'm no whore!"

"You are now. So tell me, what is your name?"

"My name, is Master Tigress."

He smiled, "Like I said, I'll enjoy breaking your will." He took a key from his pocket, and unlocked the chains on her neck, legs, and arms. As soon as he did so she threw a punch at him, but he caught her by the wrist and twisted her arm behind her back. He pushed her to the ground and pinned her other arm behind her as well. He was large enough compared to her to hold her arms and keep her pinned down with one hand. The other he used to play with her tail, "You know, you could make all this easy on yourself, or very, very, difficult. You've always followed your orders, so why stop now?"

Her tail twitched and jerked as he played with it, stroking it, gently tugging on it, rubbing the tip with his thumb. She quivered and couldn't keep down a small purr at the sensations he sent through her body, "I-I follow," She stuttered, "my M-Master's orders, not yours."

"I am your Master now. You will obey me, whether you like it or not, or you will be punished for your disobedience."

"Do your worst."

"You'll regret saying that. I'll make you beg for deaths sweet release, and it will never be granted to you." He jerked her up off the ground as he stood up, still holding her arms behind her back. He forced her up the steps to the upper deck. All the pirates from the village were there. He led her to the front end of the ship, where there were two polls spread a couple of feet apart. There were more chains attached to them, four, two for her arms, and two for her legs. A few of the pirates came and chained her arms apart and above her head, and her feet spread and barely touching the ground. It was a very strenuous position for all of her limbs. "Now," The captain stood in front of her, "I'll ask you again, what is your name."

"Tigress." She replied harshly.

"Fine, have it your way." He took a knife out of a pocket in his pants, and with a malicious grin he cut off her shirt, and then her pants.

She was completely exposed and chained in a very vulnerable position in front of a crew of male pirates. She blushed so deeply that even her amber fur couldn't hide it.

He put the knife under her chin and lifted her head up to look at him, "I see the red through your fur, but it doesn't look like you have anything to be ashamed of to me."

That made her blush even more.

He looked passed her and nodded once. She heard the crack of a whip and gasped. He looked down at her again, still holding her head up with the knife, "It's not too late to tell me your name."

She was silent, but she couldn't hide the fear in her features. Then she felt the whip strike her. She cringed, but remained silent. It struck her again. She whimpered slightly. Again and again it struck her.

The whip struck her once more, and she finally let out the pained scream that tore at the back of her throat.

"What is your name?" The captain held her head in his hand.

She was again silent. For what felt like days to Tigress, the process was repeated, till finally the captain screamed at her to tell him her name, and she replied in a whisper, "Jinu."

He smiled again, "What was that?"

"Jinu." She said a little louder.

"Good,"

He had his crew release her legs, and then her arms. When her arms were free she fell forward into the captains arms, lacking the energy to support herself. He picked her up and carried her into his quarters.

* * *

A/N: For anyone that's wondering, yes, Jinu does indeed mean whore. Also I'd like to point out that I won't be telling you what Shifu and the others are up to. I fully intend to stay focused on Tigress, and you won't know anymore about what Shifu and the others are doing than she does. One more thing, I apologize for my short, one-thousand to two-thousand word, chapters, but that's just my writing style. Besides, shorter chapters means faster updates, but remember that I have other stories in the works, so I can't promise how often updates will come, never fear though, I will finish all of my stories, so long as they continue to generate reviews.


	2. Trapt

Tigress had passed out again after she fell into the captains arms. She groggily started to open her eyes. She hoped that what had happened was just a bad dream, but after she blinked a few times she saw the captain again. She groaned.

He looked to her curiously, "Oh, you're awake again, Jinu." He smiled when he saw her scowl.

"Fuck you." She didn't have the energy to say more. She was on her chest, with her back bandaged, on the captain's bed.

"Be patient, that'll come later." He laughed at the priceless expression that came to her face. He swirled the wine in the glass he was holding, "Thirsty?"

She looked longingly at the glass.

"You should be." He kicked a bowl of water over to her, "Lost a fair amount of blood."

"My friends will come for me."

"I expect them to, they'll be looking all across China for you."

She didn't like the smirk that formed on his lips, "Then how do you expect to get away with this?"

"Like I said, they'll be looking all across China. Too bad that's not where we're headed."

"What!" She pushed herself up, but instantly regretted it as her spine screamed at her to stop. She gently lowered herself back onto the bed.

"The slave trade is much more lucrative in Japan."

She started to breath heavily, "Japan?" She groaned, "This can't be happening."

"Oh, but it is. That pain was real enough wasn't it? Don't worry though, I've decided to keep you for a while, and I have a very nice home in Japan. So as long as you're a good girl, follow orders, don't talk too much, don't piss me off in any way, shape or form, you'll be fine."

"What have I ever done to you? Why are you doing this?"

He shrugged, "Nothing, and it's good money."

"Money? Is that the only reason your doing this?"

"Well you're a nice bonus."

"I'm not some trophy for you to show off." She slowly pushed herself up again, ignoring the searing pain, "I am Master Tigress, of the Jade Palace, and I am not going to be your slave." She stood from the bed and stared him down.

"Haven't I already proven that you're not a match for me?"

"You got lucky."

"Right, I was lucky, and all the training had nothing to do with it."

"I've fought armies single handed, what training could you have that could surpass mine?"

"Well let's see, there's Krav Maga, Muay Thai, Jui Jitsu, Taijitsu, Ninjitsu, and numerous Kung Fu styles."

Tigress wasn't sure if she should believe any of that or not, "Yeah right, I've trained in Kung Fu nearly my entire life, there's no way you could have mastered so many styles of martial arts."

"Your right, I never mastered a single one, but I studied just enough to put them all to use in one masterful blend. My mix of styles is by far stronger than any single style, including Tiger Kung Fu." He stood from his chair and moved closer to her. There was only a couple of inches between them now, and she had to look almost straight up to look him in the eyes. She didn't like being in such close proximity to him, so she threw a punch at his gut to get him to back off and give herself more room to work with. Unfortunately he had expected as much and her fist hit his tensed muscles. It felt like hitting a thick stone wall, and she recoiled holding her hand. She tried to take a step back and tripped over the bed, which she fell down onto. He knelt down to her height, "Now I wish you wouldn't do that. I don't want to hurt you Jinu."

She growled, "That is not my name!"

He lunged forward and grabbed her arms, pinning her against the wall, "I told you, you belong to me now, I can call you whatever I want."

"My, name, is, Tigress!" She managed to kick him off of her, and she jumped forward off the bed as he stumbled back. She tackled him to the ground. Extending her claws she slashed viciously at his chest and face.

He growled as her claws dug into her flesh, but managed to push her off. Before she could get to her feet he pounced on her, again pinning her arms behind her back, "You really shouldn't have done that."

"You don't scare me."

"I don't want to scare you." He leaned in close and nipped at the tip of her ear, "I don't want to hurt you." He licked her neck, "I just want you to learn your place." He continued to hold her down with one hand again, and with the other, he took that cloth out of a drawer on his desk, replenished the drug, and placed it over her muzzle again.

When she woke up this time, she was back on the bed, on her back this time. Her hands were tied in place above her head, and her legs tied to opposite bed posts. While she was still assessing the situation the captain knelt down next to her, "How are you feeling?" He stroked the fur on her head.

She struggled against the ropes, which were very tight and strong.

"Wouldn't waste my energy if I were you. Even you won't be able to break those."

She stopped her struggles and glared at him.

"You know, you really are quite lovely." He held her head in place and leaned in close for a kiss.

As he kissed her a few tears made their way to her eyes.

When he pulled back he wiped them away with his thumb, "What's wrong? Not like that was your first kiss, right?"

More warm tears came to her as she realized that it was.

Her expression didn't escape his notice, "Now why would you waste such exquisite beauty."

He continued stroking the fur on her head with one hand, and placed the other on her chest. He moved slowly down her body and to her thighs.

She could feel each move he made intently. She gasped and began to struggle again as he reached her most sacred place. She could feel her face become warm as he caressed her. She felt him stroking the outside of her entrance, causing her nectar to leak from her body. He continued his work until the sheets became damp with her juices, and then he delved inside of her. She gasped again as his fingers pushed deeper. Tears were raining down her cheeks, and yet he brought such intense waves of pleasure to her. He kept up his work until she was completely at his mercy, paralyzed as much by arousal and pleasure as by the ropes binding her limbs.

He stood and removed his own clothing, and then got onto the bed over top of her. He rubbed the tip of his pride against her womanhood, just barely poking it inside. She started to pant as she felt him teasing her. He played with her like that for just a little while before he thrust deep into her. She screamed in both pain and pleasure. He retracted and then pushed into her again. He repeated the process till they had both reached their limit. She could feel his seed flowing inside of her while she drenched the sheets with her nectar.

He removed himself from her body and cut the ropes binding her arms and legs with his claws. She rolled onto her side and curled up with her hands between her legs. He laid down next to her and pulled her close against his chest, and eventually they both fell asleep.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait for such an unsatisfying chapter, but this is just a preview of things to come. It will get better later on, I promise, and that was the first time I've ever written a lemon too, so that was more of a warm up than anything, those will also get better, if your into that.


	3. Hitomi

When she awoke again. the captain was sitting back at his desk looking over a map. He glanced over at her and saw that she was awake, "You're awake, so how are you feeling."

"Sore," She answered, noticing the dull throbbing pain between her legs.

"Perhaps I was a bit rough, but you certainly weren't complaining before. We're almost in Japan."

"Is that supposed to be good news?"

"Yes it is. A little longer and you'll never have to set foot on this ship again. You'll have a comfortable bed, much better food, a home, you'll start a new life."

"I like my old life."

"In time I'm sure you'll come to appreciate all I can give you."

She scoffed, "What could you possibly give me."

"Everything that Shifu couldn't."

"Like what?"

"You're life has always revolved around Kung Fu,and it's all Shifu ever gave you. I can give you the life you've always dreamed of. You want the same thing we all want, you want someone to love, and someone who tells you they love you. I can give you that."

"Well I sure as hell don't love you!"

"I wasn't talking about me."

"Then what are you talking about?"

"Have you given any thought to names? I was thinking Konan, for a girl, and Nagato, for a boy."

"Wha-" She was confused at first, but then her hand drifted down to her abdomen as the realization dawned on her. "No, no way, I'm not bearing your children!"

"How can you be so sure? It could already be too late. Besides, you want a family, don't you?"

"Not with you!"

"Even if you hate me, they would still be your children. You'd have someone that you love, and someone who returns such feelings. The life you've always dreamed of."

She was silent for a long time. Eventually she said, "Kitai,"

"Hm?"

"for a girl, or Kibou, for a boy."

He didn't respond, he just smiled.

* * *

Tigress spent the rest of that day lost in thought. When night fell he pulled her from her thoughts, "You've been awfully quiet Jinu." He knelt down next to her and put a paw behind her head.

She looked to him, coming out of her own little world, "Just thinking."

"Too much of that will get you into trouble."

"I was thinking," She continued, ignoring him, "do you really want your children calling their mother Jinu?"

"Point taken. We'll figure out a new name later, for now though, Jinu, is quite fitting." He pulled her closer and kissed her.

She didn't kiss him back, but she also didn't fight him. They broke apart and he stood and removed his clothing again. He climbed onto the bed over top of her and spread her legs. He rubbed his pride against her womanhood. She started getting wet, her passion juices leaking out of her as she felt the warmth of his member moving along the outside of her sex. As her juices dripped down onto the sheets they coated his pride. When she was soaking wet, and he was thoroughly covered in her juices, he stopped teasing her and slowly pushed deep inside.

Tigress clutched the sheets, tightening her grip as he pushed further inside of her. When his entire length was within her, he pulled out just as gently, and repeated the process. For hours into the night he moved carefully in and out of her. He would lean in close and kiss her lips and neck. Their tongues would mingle and dance together. Tigress would give him the satisfaction of hearing her pleasured moans, and twice she drenched the sheets with her sweet nectar. When they were finally done, which was well into the night, he laid down next to her and pulled her close against his chest again, "Hitomi," He said.

"What?" She wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean.

"Hitomi, your new name. It means..."

She cut him off, "Pupil of the eye, given to girls with beautiful eyes."

"Yes."

Despite all that was happening, she smiled, just slightly, and pressed closer against him. When morning came he was again up and active before she was awake. When she did wake up she noticed that he was not in the cabin. She sat up on the edge of the bed, her back finally healed enough for her to do so without pain. She stood and looked inside of the wardrobe in the corner. She found the captains spare clothing, a long brown and tattered robe, and some clean sheets for the bed, which she took and used to replace the ones that were damp from the past two nights. She sat back down on the edge of the clean bed.

A few minutes after she did so, he came back in with her. "We've arrived." He said. He then took the robe out of the wardrobe and gave it to her, "Wear this."

She obeyed and put it on, then he proceeded to lead her out of the cabin and onto the shore. It was a fifteen minute walk off the boat and through the village where they had landed to his house. The other women were taken elswhere. It was very large, larger than the Jade Palace, and fit for the emperor himself.

He noticed how bewildered she looked when she stepped inside. "What, you didn't believe me when I said it was good money?"

Her expression changed from bewilderment to anger, "Why don't you get an honest job?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because my children are not growing up with a slave trader as a father."

"That's not your decision."

"If I can mother your cubs then the least you could do is get a real job."

"You are stubborn aren't you. Well lucky for you this was my last job. I have enough stored away for a lifetime of luxury."

She wasn't quite satisfied with that, but for now it would do, "Good, now where's the kitchen? I haven't eaten in two days."

He led her through the house and to the kitchen.

Once there she started rummaging through the cabinets and drawers, seeing what she had to work with. One wouldn't never have guessed it, but she was actually a rather good cook. Everyone, even she, needed some way to unwind and relieve stress, and for her it was cooking, and when Po came to the palace she picked up some interesting tricks from him. After gathering some ingredients and spices she went to work preparing them both a decent meal. She made some spring rolls, fried rice, and dumplings stuffed with beef and vegetables. He just took a seat and watched as she made the dishes, and when she served them he took a bite out of one of the dumplings and his eyes went very wide. It was, undoubtedly, the best thing he had ever tasted. Now he wasn't a half bad chef himself, but he had never tasted anything like what she just made in a few minutes, not even in the finest restaurants had he tasted something like this.

She smiled as she saw his expression from her own seat at the table, "Impressed?"

He was, but he certainly wasn't going to admit that to her, "Not bad, for a slave."

She growled at him, "I am not your slave! As of two days ago I am your mate, and I expect to be treated as such."

"And what makes you think I would do that.?"

"A few things: one, you took me as a mate and expect me to bear your children, two, even someone like you must have some shred of decency in him, three, whether we love or hate each other I intend to give our cubs a proper home and I'm sure you feel the same, and four, I know you don't want to live your life alone, no one does, that's why you took me, and that's why you're going to treat me properly."

He didn't say anything else, he just went back to eating. She was absolutely right, about everything. He took her not because he saw a good slave, but because he saw a good mate, a good mother, and a good wife. He had lived his life on his own, and he was growing so tired of it. He wanted someone to be by his side, and he did indeed have some morals. He would care for his children like any father should. He wanted them to have a good childhood, one they could remember fondly, one that was most unlike his. He would not be like his father in that regard, he would treat his children right, he would treat his mate right, but he had no idea what right was. Nothing in his life was ever right. Nothing he ever did was right. Nothing his parents ever did was right. Nothing about his life was right.


	4. No

After they had eaten he showed her to his, now their, bedroom, "Lie down," he told her, "let me check the wounds on your back."

She removed the brown robe he had given her and lay face down on the bed.

He sat down next to her, removed the bandages and looked over the wounds. They were healing at a remarkable rate, and quite nicely. There would be scars yes, but other than that the permanent damage would be minimal. As he ran his hand over her back he suddenly felt, pained, pained by the knowledge that he had done this to her. It was an odd feeling, considering he still couldn't care less about what became of the women he sold. He never thought much about that though. With her however, it was different. He stood from the bed, "They're healing well, but they need to be cleaned."

She put the robe back on and he proceeded to lead her to the bathhouse. The bathhouse was a short walk from the main building. It was built on top of a hot spring, so the water was heated naturally. Tigress disrobed again and stepped into the warm and soothing water. He started to leave her, but stopped when she said, "Stay," He sat down behind her on the edge of the water. She laid her head on the edge in front of him, and closed her eyes.

They were both silent for a while, till she spoke again, "I saw the way you were looking at me when you were checking the wounds on my back. Anyone else would have been proud of the fact that they could do something like that to me, but what makes you different? You weren't proud, you were disgusted, even hurt by it, but you did it without hesitation or a second thought, so what's changed?"

He didn't answer, he just stared down at her with with a saddened expression. What he was feeling now, was very new to him. He had never felt this way before, and he didn't know how to describe it, and he didn't like it. He felt, among other things, vulnerable. Like a small cub again.

She pulled him from his thoughts again, "You never wanted a slave, did you. You took me, because you wanted a wife."

He placed a paw on her cheek and gently stroked her fur, "You're too smart for your own good, you know that?"

"That doesn't answer my second question though."

He sighed, "I feel the way I do now, because I feel like I've broken a promise I made to myself a long time ago. I always told myself, that I would never be like my father. Even when I was introduced to this life, at a young age, I always swore that I wouldn't be like him. I've destroyed so many lives, and hurt so many people, but even now I feel nothing for them, but you...I never want to hurt you again."

"Why? What makes me different than all the others?"

"My father, was a drunk, don't think I ever saw him without a bottle in hand, unless of course he had decided to break it over my or my mothers head. He would beat us senseless every day, especially her. My mother would stand between me and him whenever she could, and take the brunt of his assaults. I told myself that I wouldn't be like that, that I would treat my mate, and my cubs right. Even after I left home and was taken in by those slave traders, even when I saw what became of the women they took, the ones that I took, I always swore I wouldn't do something like that to my mate."

"So I was right then, about everything."

"Yes, you were, but so was I. With Shifu there may not have been any physical abuse, unless you count all the rigorous training, but he wasn't exactly the ideal father was he."

She tensed slightly.

He continued, "Did he ever tell you he loved you? Did he even let you outside the Palace walls? Ever let you have any friends other than those you trained with?"

She was silent for a long time. Eventually she said, "No, I always craved his approval, I always wanted him to tell me that he loved me. Ever since I can remember, I've never heard anyone tell me that. I was a monster at Bao Gu, and I always felt worthless at the Palace. He never congratulated me when I did something well, always berated me when I did something wrong. Never let me leave the palace, always kept me training."

"Despite the first impression I gave, I don't want to keep you prisoner here. I want to give you all the freedoms you never had before. I want you to feel loved, important, and happy. Maybe you don't love me yet, but maybe you'll grow to, and even if you don't, I'm sure you'll love the cubs. You can have the friends you never had before. Real friends, not just people you train with, but good people, who truly care about you. There's a large village north of here, and the smaller village we came through to the south. The people in both are kind and caring, I'm sure you'll be able to find some to befriend."

"But what about Shifu, and Po, and the rest of the Five, what will they think. They must be worried about me."

"I know, I'll take you back to them if you really want me to. If you really want to go back to that life, I'll take you there, but I must ask, is that what you want? Do you really want your old life back. You could start anew here, with me, with our children. I know I haven't shown it, but I do want you to be happy, but the life of a slave trader is all I've known for a long time. I don't know what right and wrong are anymore. I can learn, but it will take time. So do you want to go back to your old life?"

Again it took some time to for her to answer, but eventually she did so, "No,"


	5. Kayou

After she had finished bathing the captain gave Tigress a tour of the rest of the house. She wasn't really paying attention though. She was thinking about what she had said just a little while ago _"No,"_. It was just a single word, but it's was worth a thousand. She meant it too, she didn't want to go back to her old life. Even after everything this man had done to her, and even knowing what he had done to countless young women before her, she still didn't want to go back. She didn't know what would happen to her now, but it couldn't be worse than going back.

Her entire life, she might as well have been a slave. In her old life she was locked away in the Palace, she was forced to train until her body was nearly broken, she was belittled and demeaned till her spirit was just as beaten, she was forced to serve the country with nothing in return, she was never allowed to choose, only meant to obey. No matter what this man did to her, no matter what he did with her body, her spirit, her life, it had all been done before.

It's why she didn't fight him. She had been easily compelled to accept the name he had given her originally, no matter how demeaning, because her spirit had already been crushed. She had not fought him when he used her body to satisfy his own desires because her body had already been abused in every other sense of the word. She chose to stay with him, because it was the only choice she had been allowed to make in the last twenty years.

Part of her believed it was hopeless, that she would forever be condemned to live this worthless life, but part of her wanted to believe that everything he had promised would become true, and no part of her wanted to go back to her old life. At least with him there would be a chance of freedom, while with Shifu, there was none whatsoever.

After the tour was over they came back to the living room in the center of the house, "Well," Said the captain, "I guess that's about all there is to see. So how's it compare to the Jade Palace?"

"It's, nice, actually." She responded, "It may even be bigger. I must say that I'm impressed."

He smirked, "Good to hear." He studied the old brown robe he had given her, "You'll need some new clothing. I'll head down to the village and buy some, you can feel free to make yourself comfortable here. I'll be back shortly, Hitomi. You don't mind the name Hitomi, right? You do need a Japanese name if your staying."

"No, Hitomi is fine. Speaking of names though, I don't think you've told me yours yet."

"I haven't? Well, it's Kayou."

"Kayou, it means, song, right?"

"Yes, my mother always told me that she named me that because she always enjoyed listening to the songs the birds sang in her childhood."

"How'd your mother end up in a marriage like hers?"

"It was an arranged marriage. Her parents didn't think very highly of her, those songs from the birds were all that kept her going. She was a saint of a woman though. Even after everything my father did to her, she never gave up hope. Never gave up the belief that things would get better, even if she had to wait until her next life. I hope she was right, she deserves a better life. Even if it means my next life is hell, I hope she was right."

"What happened to her?"

"My father killed her. I was young, but I remember it vividly. He took his abuse too far one night. He was drunk, as always, he swiped at her with a broken bottle, and cut her throat. There was so much blood. She was the only thing that was keeping me there, I just didn't want to leave her, but now that she was gone, I had no reason to stay, no reason to wait for him to kill me too. So I ran. I ran for days, I nearly died of exhaustion, but a group of slavers found me, they must have seen potential, because they brought me back to health, and raised me to be like them."

She moved closer to him, "Wow, I guess both our lives have been harsh."

"That's putting it mildly, but I'll try to turn yours around if you'll do the same for me." He smiled and offered his paw to her.

She hesitated, but soon smiled back at him and took his paw. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, and she laid her hands and head against his chest and purred.

Later, after he had gone to the village and bought her some clothes, he walked into the bedroom and showed them to her. Most of them were no more complex than her old vest with the dragons on the sides, and her simple black pants. There were a few for special occasions that were more intricate, and a couple of dresses, which were much more feminine than what she was used too. She picked up one of the dresses, a red one with a dragon curling around it. "Don't think I've ever worn a dress before." She said.

He was genuinely surprised by that, "Why? You have a gorgeous body, why not acknowledge it?"

"I guess it's because I knew how much Shifu loved Tai Lung, and I thought if I acted more like the son he loved so much, then he would love me too."

"You shouldn't try to be something your not, besides you have the kind of looks that most women would kill for."

She removed the brown robe and tried the dress on. She walked over to the mirror on the other side of the room and examined herself. She liked what she saw, she liked it a lot. She looked, sexy, she felt it too. It was a new, but welcome feeling for her.

Kayou came over to her and nuzzled her cheek as he wrapped his hands around her again. She purred and nuzzled him as well. He looked at their reflection in the mirror, "Now, doesn't it feel nice to be yourself for a change."

"You know, for a slaver, you really know how to please a woman." She turned her head towards him and kissed him.


	6. just before the dawn

A simple mission, it was supposed to be a simple mission. How could it have gone so wrong? He had waited hours for her to return, but she never did, and he had searched high and low for her, but he never found her. Despite everything he told himself about what must have happened, he always came back to the same conclusion, she was on that ship. Something had happened, and she had been on that ship when it set sail. She had been taken, from him, from her friends, perhaps even from the country. She had been captured, by who, he did not know. He should have gone with her, he should have at least gone to look for her sooner, but he didn't, and now, now his best student, his pride and joy, his daughter, was gone, and he had no idea what would happen to her now.

It had been three days since then, and now he had made it back to the Jade Palace. How he was to break the news to the rest of his students, when he still couldn't cope with it himself, he wasn't sure. He didn't have time to think about it either, because they were in the courtyard waiting to greet him, and Tigress. As he opened the large wooden door to the Palace, Viper slithered up to him.

"Master Shifu," She said, "How'd it go?" She looked around him, "And where's Tigress?"

"And why the long face?" Po asked as he swallowed a mouthful of rice.

"Master," Cran glided over, "is something wrong?"

Offering words of comfort wasn't his specialty, so he tried the direct approach, "Tigress, she, she's," He stuttered.

"Master, what is it, what happened?" Viper worriedly pleaded.

"She's gone, she was taken."

There was a long period of silence. Viper was the one to break it, "How?" Was all she could manage to say.

"I, I don't know, I shouldn't have sent her alone though. It's my fault."

"No," She told him through teary eyes, "no, it's not your fault Master. You shouldn't blame yourself."

"But if I had just gone with her, or gone for her sooner."

"It's not your fault, there was no way you could have seen this coming."

Shifu sighed, "I suppose your right, but I think I need some time to myself if you don't mind." With that he walked off to his private quarters, and the others went to the bunkhouse to digest what they had just heard.

While her friends were processing the devastating news that Shifu delivered, Tigress was adjusting to life in Japan. It really wasn't much different than it was in China. The customary foods were a little different, but the daily routine stayed much the same. At first her daily routine was rather bland, but once she starting going to the village to the north with Kayou, things picked up. While in the village to the south they knew about what he did, in this northern village, they were completely oblivious. They didn't know about who she was, they didn't know about what he did, and they didn't know about how she came here. She was quick to make friends among the people there. Despite how Shifu isolated her for most of her life, people skills came with being one of the greatest heroes in China. Kayou was right when he said that the people of the village were nice. They all looked out for one another, and genuinely cared for their neighbors. They were actually even more eager to befriend her than she was to befriend them.

Kayou had been keeping his promise to try and turn her life around. He had given her complete freedom, which was rather ironic all things considered, but it was true. She wasn't quite sure what to do with the utter lack of restrictions yet, it was something very new to her. She had been keeping her side of the bargain as well. Turning his life around just as he was doing for her. All he ever needed, all either of them ever needed, or wanted, or dreamed of, was someone to say "I love you.". All they needed to turn their lives around, was someone to say those three words in some way, whether it be the way he wouldn't restrain her like Shifu, or whether it be the way she cuddled close to him every night.

Despite how they met, and despite their first impressions, they were truly growing to care for one another, to love each other. When he first led her onto that ship, when he first took her away from her old life, he had known only one way of life for so long. He had forgotten who he once was. He had forgotten the promise he made to himself so long ago, but she was quickly able to remind him of it. The others had all given in so easily, but she did not. She had reminded him of what he told himself before, and she had brought back the person he once was.

Things were going quite smoothly for the two felines. The rest of the Five, Shifu, and the Dragon Warrior, were taking things hard however. Viper's sobs could be heard clearly through the rice paper walls of the bunkhouse as she cried herself to sleep. After about a week she ran out of tears to cry for her best, and only, friend. The others were all nice enough, but she had never really bonded with any of them like she did with Tigress. Crane tried to comfort her as best he could, but he wasn't fairing much better, and there was little to nothing he could do anyway. The best thing he could really do was be there for her. Just so she wouldn't have to be alone. So he stayed with her day after day, and night after night. Even with so little time apart, there were few words spoken between them.

Monkey and Mantis, despite being just as close as Tigress and Viper were, had been drifting further and further apart. They barely even saw each other anymore, they spent most of their time training separately, or isolating themselves in their rooms. Po and Shifu isolated themselves in much the same way for the first few days, but eventually, having no one else to talk to, Po went to him, and Shifu, being in the same position, welcomed him. Po was as downtrodden as anyone else, and offering words of comfort was still not something that Shifu excelled at, so instead they both turned to something that they had never turned to before. They tried to drown their pain, wash it away with bottles of sake and wine. The others would have stopped them, but they were too busy wallowing in their own grief to notice.

Things were not going well in China, but Tigress and Kayou had never been happier. After about a week and a half they started working out plans for a wedding. Tigress got a dress made by one of her friends in the village. It was red, with the characters for love, hope, and unity. Most of the northern village attended, and those that didn't couldn't make it for one reason or another. It was held outside, under the moon. With candles, and torches lighting the ceremony. There were white and red camellias around the alter. Altogether, it was a beautiful wedding. About a month after they arrived, the village doctor confirmed that Tigress was pregnant. A matter of weeks ago, that would have been devastating news, but now, it was joyous.

Soon, very soon, she would have the life she had always dreamed of. She would have real friends, and a loving family, with a caring husband, and wonderful children, and there was no one to tell her she couldn't have it. No Shifu to forbid it, not even the gods would stand in her way this time. She was finally going to be happy, free, loved. She was going to have everything she ever wanted, and it was all thanks to Kayou, her husband, her savior. It was proof that the night was always darkest just before the dawn. In the time on that ship, things had truly never seemed more hopeless, but now that she had come to this point, things were brighter than ever, and only getting brighter.


	7. Joy, and Smile

Tigress and Kayou were just making it home on the same day that they found out she was pregnant.

"So do you still want to keep the names you came up with before?" He asked her.

"Kitai, and Kibou," She thought it over, "no, I don't need them. How about, Kietsu, for a boy, or Emi for a girl."

Kayou smiled and nuzzled her. She purred at his touch. He placed a paw on her abdomen, "Sounds perfect to me."

"You know, as heavenly as these last few weeks have been here in Japan, I can't help but wonder how things are back in China."

"Well, if you really want to, we could go and find out."

"Kayou, I know you're not stupid, so you must just be crazy. They'd kill you."

He frowned, "Well, maybe we should leave out the part about how you got here, and skip to the part after that."

She seemed thoughtful for a moment, "Maybe..."

"If you want to then I can make it happen, but we should probably do it soon. Otherwise we'll have to wait till the baby is a bit older."

She sighed, "No, as much as I'd like to satisfy my curiosity, I have a family to think of now." She smiled placing her hand on top of his and leaning her head back against his shoulder.

As time passed and her belly grew, Tigress, or rather Hitomi, continued to grow closer to Kayou, and also the people in the village. She felt so much more comfortable among them than she ever did in the valley. Of course, that was likely because they weren't the bunnies and pigs that she knew back then, and she could fit in much more easily. In Japan, at least in the area they were in, larger mammals were more common than smaller ones like in the valley. There still weren't many tigers, but there were other large felines, like panthers and leopards, along with cows, bulls, wolves, and an assortment of different very large avian inhabitants. Not nearly as many of them had to look up to see her.

After the first month after they found out she was pregnant Hitomi, that name had really grown on her, it was much prettier than Tigress anyway, had started teaching Kayou everything she knew about cooking, including what she learned from Po, because she was starting to have some trouble standing up long enough to make a meal at this point. So the passed her knowledge onto him, and allowed him to start making their meals, and with a pregnant tiger in the house, he had a lot of work to do. She quickly developed one hell of a ravenous appetite. Kayou was waiting on her hand and foot to keep her happy though.

About three months after they found out about the pregnancy, it was finally time to see what they had been waiting on, their child. There was a doctor along with two nurses in the room with Kayou and Hitomi. As she screamed and gripped his hand, nearly breaking it, they heard the doctor say that they had a boy. One of the nurses wrapped him in a blanket and handed him to his father. Kayou knelt down next to his wife, "Kietsu," He said as he held the crying cub. Hitomi was still breathing laboriously, "We're not done yet." She screamed again.

Kayou thought he was going to go deaf between Hitomi's screams and Kietsu's crying, but eventually the doctor announced that they also had a girl. The nurse wrapped her up as well and gave the newborn to her mother. "Emi," She said, trying to catch her breath. She held her daughter for a moment longer before giving her back to the nurse to take to the nursery, and not really having the energy to hold her any longer. Kayou gave his son to the other nurse and they proceeded to take the two newborn cubs to the nursery, where they could sleep peacefully. The doctor congratulated them and left them be. Kayou pulled a chair up next to his wife's bed in the hospital. He sat down, holding her paw in his and wearing a large smile. She looked to him, with a similar grin, "Twins," She said, not quite believing it, "never really thought I'd get to be a mother, much less have twins."

He kissed her lightly on the lips, "You're not the only one who was skeptical. I can't say that children often crossed my mind, until recently that is. Now, you should rest, I think you've earned it after carrying around two cubs for four months."

"So have you, between my appetite and mood swings I imagine you're looking for to some time to rest as well."

He chuckled at her humor, "I suppose you're right." He sat back down, still holding her hand. He stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes before looking over to her. She had already fallen asleep. "Twins," He said softly, "Kietsu, and Emi." He repeated their names before closing his eyes and drifting off himself.

* * *

At this point Shifu, Po, and the rest of the Five, had pulled themselves out of their depression, and stopped wallowing in misery. Instead they had now started to be more proactive, and had been searching relentlessly for their missing comrade. Scouring all of China, looking for leads, interrogating anyone who might have any idea where she might be. For months they found nothing. Eventually however, they managed to find someone who was working with Kayou at the time. He was a mercenary, and he had been there when that ship set sail. While Kayou had reformed, and was no longer working with such company, the mercenary had not. Fortunately for Shifu, he was also more than willing to sell him out. It seems that a few of Kayou's old allies didn't like the idea of him leaving them for the female tiger, and while the mercenary didn't know exactly where Kayou lived, he did know exactly where that Ship had gone, and with only minimal effort on Shifu's part, he told him everything.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Update! I do hope you all enjoy my story still. I'm really sorry about the long wait, but I have at least 20 stories in the works right now, which you can look forward to by the way. I know this chapter was rather short, even for me, and bit unsatisfying in my opinion, but hey, Tigress and Kayou have twins, be happy for them :) and what of Shifu and the others. Sounds like they're not going to rest till they have her back, but what's that mean for her? Will she be forced back into her old life? Well let's find out next time, shall we.


	8. Reunion

It had been two months since the twins were born by the time Shifu found out where that ship had gone, and Kayou and Hitomi were learning the ins and outs of raising children. Kayou had converted a storage room into a nursery for them. It was right next to their parents room, and the walls were painted with blue and pink vertical stripes. At the top and bottom of the walls there were pictures of other feline cubs playing. There were two cribs, and an assortment of toys, and children's books. The cubs opened their eyes after about a week, and they had become increasingly curious as their eyesight further developed. They had just been introduced to a new world, filled with all kinds of fascinating things. Like the large red rubber ball that Kietsu liked to roll around on, or the pictures in the books that Emi liked to sit and stare at.

Hitomi and Kayou loved to sit together and watch their children play. These two cubs were the best thing that ever happened to either of them, and the people in the village were quite helpful in teaching them how to care for them. Many of the them had children themselves, and were happy to share their experience with the tiger couple. Neither of them had ever thought that something like this could happen to them, neither of them thought that they had any chance at happiness like this, but they got everything they ever wanted and more. One day Hitomi was sitting on the floor of the nursery with Emi in her lap. She was reading her a book and describing the pictures. She pointed out a picture of a tiger chasing a butterfly through a field of flowers, "See Emi, that's a tiger, like you." Emi cooed and giggled as she pressed her paw to the page.

While the females were reading and admiring artwork, Kayou was lying on the floor of the nursery looking over at his wife and daughter, while Kietsu was curled up on his chest, rising and falling with his breathing. The young cub yawned and blinked a few times. He crawled off of his father's chest and over to his mother. He rubbed his head against her chest. Hitomi grinned and softly laughed, "Hungry?" She put the book down and Emi noticed her brother. So she turned about and looked up at her mother with a smile, gently tugging at the neck of her dress. Hitomi had taken to wearing dresses much more often now, since it was about all she could wear during the pregnancy, and the one she had on now was a plain purple one that came down to her knees. "You too huh?" Hitomi picked up both her children and sat down in a chair next to the cribs.

Kayou stood, and they heard a knock at the front door. He walked over to the chair and pecked his wife on the cheek before heading out to the door. When he arrived and opened the door, he was shocked, to say the least. Outside his door he saw, first, a giant panda, more specifically Po, the Dragon Warrior, alongside five others, Master Shifu, and his students. Hard as he tried he couldn't hide his expression of surprise and panic. They all looked rather murderous, which meant someone had probably told them about what, or rather who, was on that ship. Still though, he tried to talk his way out of it, "Can I help you?"

"Yes," Shifu said, "I think you can. We've been looking for someone you see, and I've been told that you might know where she is."

_Oh shit_, He thought, but didn't let it show, "Who would you be looking for?"

Shifu dropped his act at that point and jumped onto Kayou and knocked him to the ground. Kayou couldn't help the reflexive growl that escaped his throat, nor could he keep his eyes from narrowing in anger. "Look," Shifu continued as calmly as he could, "why don't you just make this easy on yourself and tell me where she is." His students all let themselves in and surrounded Kayou.

Kayou knew there was no point in playing dumb, they would never believe him, but that didn't mean he knew what to do. He only stared at Shifu thinking of what the best course of action would be.

Shifu, being ever impatiant, threw him across the room and into the wall when he didn't immediately respond.

Hitomi was just putting the cubs down for a nap when she heard the loud crash. She ran as fast as she could to the front door to see Kayou climbing though a hole in the wall. What truly frightened her about the sight though, was that she also saw Shifu and the others. She thought about leaving before she was seen by them, but she knew Kayou wouldn't be able to handle them by himself. So she ran over to him as he stood between them and the wall, "Are you alright?" She asked him worriedly.

"Fine," He replied holding his head.

"Shifu, what the hell!" She screamed at him.

"Tigress!" Shifu pulled her away from Kayou, "It's alright Tigress, we're here now."

She was about to retort when she heard the crying of two cubs. She held her head in her hand, "Damn it. I just got them to sleep."

"I'll take care of it." Kayou said, looking for an excuse to get out of that room.

Shifu and the others were too shocked by the sound of cubs crying to move as he left. Tigress sent him a grateful smile before looking angrily back at Shifu, "Shifu, what the hell are you doing here?"

"We, we're taking you home!" He stammered at first, but recovered quickly.

She sighed, "In case you haven't noticed, this is my home now."

"What are you talking about? You're home is with us, back in China."

"So you're plan is to take me away from a loving husband, my two wonderful children, a nice house, with a nice village filled with amazing people just north of it, and force me pack into a miserable life of servitude with no family, a crappy room, hardly any friends, where I risk my life daily to protect a country that gives me nothing but heartache in return."

Shifu didn't respond.

"Well, frankly Shifu, you can go hang yourself for all I care." With that she stormed off to tend to her children.

Shifu stared into space, and his students stared at him. Po eventually broke the silence, "Um, Master..."

Shifu blinked a few times, "What just happened?"

* * *

In the nursery Kayou had just gotten the children back to sleep when Tigress walked in. She closed the door quietly and looked down into the cribs, "Didn't give you too much trouble did they?"

"They went back to sleep quickly after I came in. They just hate it when we're not around." He whispered, "What about Shifu?"

"Well, I probably shouldn't have been so hard on him. He does think he's doing the right thing. He didn't hurt you did he?"

"I'm fine, you should probably talk to him though, tell him what's happened over the last few months."

"Yeah, I guess I can't just leave him hanging."

As soon as those words left her muzzle they heard a light knock at the door. She opened it a crack and saw Shifu and the others outside. "Tigress," Shifu started.

She interrupted him though, "I know, we need to talk, but not in here." She stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind her, "Come with me." Tigress led them down the hall, and into the kitchen.

As they walked they all saw a difference in her, not only the fact that she was wearing a dress, but the way she walked. The way she carried herself, with a spring in her step, and the subtle way her hips swayed, and she was so much more relaxed than they remembered, it spoke volumes about her life in Japan.

When they got to the kitchen they all took a seat at the table, "Look," she started, "I know you all think you're doing the right thing here, but despite how I got here, I've never been happier. This place has been my salvation, I have a great life in Japan, I have a husband who loves me, I have two children, and I have a village full of the best friends I could ask for."

"Tigress," Shifu said again.

Again she interrupted though, "Hitomi, my name is Hitomi now." They all looked at her curiously, "Kayou thought of it, it's given to girls with beautiful eyes."

"Hitomi," Shifu continued, using her new name, "I, I don't understand. We were told that Kayou was a slave trader, and that's why he brought you here on that ship."

"Well, whoever told you that wasn't lying. He was a slave trader, and that is why he brought me here, but that's all changed. I know how it sounds, but we really have grown to love each other, and our friends in the village, and our children, and he even offered to take me back more than once, but I refused." Now they looked at her in shock, "I'm sorry, I know you all must have been searching everywhere for me, but I was no better than a slave back in China. Now I have everything I ever wanted and more."

Shifu's head was overloaded with thoughts and emotions. He couldn't find the words to express any of them though. Fortunately Viper was able to speak for him, "Ti-" She stopped herself from using her old name, "Hitomi, we only want to see you happy, and if you're happy here, we don't want change that, but we do miss you, and so does the rest of China."

Hitomi sighed, "I know, but I can't leave my family, and I'm not letting my children travel to China when they're only two months old."

"Well, if you ever want to visit, you're always welcome at the Palace."

"And you're always welcome here."

"So," Po spoke up, "can we see the cubs?"


End file.
